Torn
by Ridley Poe Estoire
Summary: Faith's past comes rushing back when a former friend re-enters her life.  But he doesn't remember her and he is no longer human.
1. Chapter 1

**Torn**

Prologue

Orange flames crackled and popped, wood breaking and snapping under the heat of the blaze.

Rayne gazed on his burning home, his family already dead inside, filled with complete hopelessness and loneliness. Slowly, he turned and limped away, paid no notice to the ash on his face and the blood all over his hands. The emptiness, if it could be given a name, controlled his now frozen heart. What once held the hope of a brighter future was now loaded with the desperation of the abandoned.

The echo that sounded from his boots through the street was unnatural. The speed at which he ran was scientifically impossible. Even with the exercise his breathing, or lack there of, was inhuman. As he accelerated even more in speed, he began to lose his sense of self. His mind was drifting away, somewhere oblivion. Memories that once had value evaporated from his thoughts.

_The cloven vampire stood aside as he watched his demon companion attack. A brown-scaled demon charged towards him, it's horrible maw screeching in anger. A dark-haired girl intercepted the blow and used massive strength to send the demon flying in the opposite direction. Brown-scales came clawing back, running at full speed straight at Rayne. A single crooked claw raised in attack, the long black nail slicing across Rayne's cheek. Yet, suddenly, he was gone and all that remained was nothing, not even darkness. _

_The dark-haired beauty slammed a fist into his jaw; supernatural strength made it hurt more than usual. Her strong hands thrust him backward towards a collection of tin trash barrels. On all fours he made to stand, but her combat boot was there to slug him in the abdomen. His throat was caught in gag convulsions, little masses of vomit slipping from his mouth. She came down on him harder with an assault of punches as she straddled him. " I hate you. This is me, you bastard. You're not real. Just leave me alone. I don't need you anymore. I hate you." She screamed at him. Her attacks only ceased when he stopped struggling to block her blows. Rayne saw the blood all over her hands, felt the blood that stained his face. " I can't…hate…you." He sputtered and coughed. "You're real to me. And I'll never stop…fighting to save you, never give…up. I forgive…you." He lifted his head, but decided against it and let it thud back to the ground. Through slit eyes he peered at one last fist blow soaring in slow motion towards his face. That too erupted into nothingness; Rayne never would know again that she ever existed._

_Litter from overflowing trashcans blew around the dark alley. The heavy plastic lid of one of the large metal garbage cans flapped eerily in the wind. Rayne's footsteps were inaudible over the sound of traffic and natural sounds. His legs carried his bruised and bleeding body down the alley. He stopped his trudge in front of the tremendous metal trashcan. For a moment he thought _you never fully understand what it's like until you take your first step into that trashcan and pull the newspapers over you. _Freezing in __the night air, he slung one then two legs over the edge of the bin. Settling in for the night, he pushed rotten, soggy food out of the way and covered himself with a hole-filled shirt. In the end that too vanished and, as this was his last memory, he lost himself._

Rayne doubled over and vomited, continuing that way for five minutes. He couldn't remember anything about himself, not even his name. Feeling slightly less nauseated; he rolled over on his side and clinched his eyes shut. His body shook with painful convulsions and then transmogrified into something even more unearthly.

His eyes opened and all that remained was black irises, then red and slit like a cat's. His lips curled, mouth opening into a snarl. Sharp, pointed white canines exposed themselves and did not retract. A low growl escaped his throat as he climbed up from his hands and knees. His eyes darted around, as he grew acclimated to his surroundings.

When passersby looked upon him in the night he looked like any other insane human being; never judge a person by what's on the outside. Inside there was a monster that was growing, clawing his way to the top, starving for a release. Starving, hungry for death, torment, and suffering. In the end, the demon inside would have his way.

On the street outside the alley, a mother run-walking was carrying a screaming child over her shoulder. The demon felt the life, the warmth, and was drawn to it. After a moment, the screaming ceased; mother and child vanished into the darkness of the night, no sound to signal their passing.


	2. Chapter 2

Kennedy, Dominique, and Rona were filled with a renewed strength, more able to shield themselves from demons. Even with their newfound power, they couldn't seem to keep up with Faith and the demon she was hunting down. Kennedy yelled down the street at her, but Faith didn't seem to hear. Eventually, the girl's caught up to the two around a corner and in a dead-end alleyway.

A red-eyed, moldy green-scaled demon was backed up against a wall snarling and growling at Faith, who approached dangerously close. The moment Faith was close enough to initiate in hand-to-hand combat, the demon charged forward and three vampires dropped from the roofs of the two buildings and trapped the other three slayers in with Faith and Green-scales.

" Hand it over. Now! " Faith demanded, nodding toward the chalice in the demon's hand.

The demon made a deep guttural noise that might have been a laugh. Its fist tightened around the chalice and its gnashing teeth tried to cut her flesh. Faith round-housed it in the face and jumped fully onto its back, standing. The demon fell to the ground and as Faith reached to grab the chalice from its grasp something wriggled beneath the skin of its spiked back. A head broke through the monster's scales and snapped at Faith as she tried hurriedly to gain access of the chalice. The teeth cleared a slice of flesh from her abdomen.

Down the alley, the three ex-potentials fought their own enemies, enemies bearing swords and adz. Kennedy was momentarily overtaken by her foe, but caught the moment and planted a stake between the vampire's ribs. The last two were a bit difficult and proved quite difficult to overpower and gain enough space to thrust stakes into their still hearts.

Faith was bleeding profusely, but was only paying attention to killing the demon in front of her. Suddenly, a scream shattered Faith's concentration as she turned to find the source. In an instant she saw Rona and Dominique thrown against the alley wall, only unusual thing was that they weren't getting up. Faith watched for a moment too long, which gave her own opponent enough time to recuperate and was now slashing at Faith with razor-sharp claws. One talon managed to catch Faith across the cheek before she whipped out a dagger and whirled around to chop off three of its fingers. Its unharmed hand thrust forward and gripped her wrist as its mouth opened, prepared to suck the life from her.

Out of nowhere came a whooshing sound then the sound of exploding flesh as the demon's chest erupted in red goo and its hand released Faith's now bloody wrist. Faith heard two more whooshing sounds and turned in time to see the two vampires hovered over Kennedy and Rona become dust.

" Faith, let's go!" Kennedy shouted as she scrambled up from the ground, holding the back of her skull.

" Go ahead. I have something to finish." Faith sauntered toward the very back wall of the alley where she thought she had heard the noises coming from.

Instantly, someone came soaring down from the 6-story building, landing as if they'd only jumped from a table. Long auburn hair was brushed out of the way,


End file.
